Being Certified Organic and Why it Matters

Happy and honest transparency means quality you can rely on.

Being certified organic isn't all rainbows and unicorns. It's time-consuming, gruelling, and expensive - but we reckon it's worth it.

When shopping in store or online, we’re all bombarded by labels claiming, 'totally natural', '100% natural', 'all-natural', 'organic', 'sustainable', 'natural and organic' and 'non-GMO'.

As consumers we hope people are true to their word, but just flashing these words around doesn't offer much certainty.

For complete peace-of-mind, we chose for Everkind to be certified organic. So, what exactly does that involve?

The plan

Well, it starts with a plan, an Organic Management Plan to be exact. In this plan we set out the products, the ingredients, the suppliers, packaging and labels, and the systems and processes to ensure there's no contamination.

When your making organic products, they need to be created in a premise that's certified for organic production. What cleaners you use, how you keep pests out, and even your water source all needs to be thought about and checked.

Then there's the daily practice

Records are the backbone of organic audits. Our systems involve keeping electronic copies of all invoices and suppliers' organic certificates, photographs of all ingredients that are received, chain-of-custody records that give a unique number to each ingredient that comes through the door so that it can be trace to every batch it's used in.

Every product made has a written record that assigns a batch number. That batch record has a complete list of all the ingredients, their weight and their own unique number. These records mean every product can be traced back to the raw ingredients and the suppliers of those raw ingredients.

Comprehensive documentation provides the foundation for the next step.

The annual organic audit

Each year we're visited by an auditor from AsureQuality. They’re looking for objective evidence that we are complying with the Organic Standard and our Organic Management Plan. They review, they trace, they spot check, and they ask heaps (and heaps!) of questions.

Let me just say, you need a great deodorant!😉

At the end, if we pass (and we did!) we get issued with the next annual organic certificate.

So why do we do it?

We hate greenwashing and we think that when you part with your hard-earned cash you deserve more than some snazzy marketing words.

When things are truly organic, they really are better.

How is organic better?

🌏 It's better for the planet.

Organic farming has always been about sustainability first. The farming practices are designed to enhance the health of the soils, water, and air. With no petrochemical fertilisers, it's estimated that if Europe's farmland went organic, their agricultural emissions could drop 40-50% by 2050.

🦋 It's better for the wildlife.

The diversity on organic farms and the lack of synthetic pesticides means they are a haven for birds, bees, and butterflies. It's estimated that there are about 75% more bees on organic farms than conventional farms.

😃 And it's better for people.

The connection between healthy soil and healthy people might feel invisible but it's strong. Having lived opposite a conventional market garden for 18 months, I know first-hand the impact spray drift and a horticulture polluted water source can have on health. With certified organic products you can also be sure there's no GMO or nanotechnology involved.

By buying certified organic products you're encouraging more farmers to go organic and voting for the way you want the world to be. It might feel like a small choice, but it really does make a difference.

So, thank you. Thank you for caring and thank you for trusting us. Your support means the world!

If you’ve been thinking about making the switch from synthetic bodycare to a truly natural choice, have a look at the Everkind range. All our products are certified organic, which means they’re made using ingredients you know you can trust – proven over generations, and loved the world over.